To Be Alive
by Cao
Summary: Yuugi kicks Yami out and Marik claims Yami as his and Malik’s slave. But when Malik leaves on a surprise Christmas present, what will become of Yami when Marik’s wrath is turned towards him? [cruelty, rape, various OOC; don't say I didn't warn you]


To Be Alive

By: Cao

Summary: Yuugi kicks Yami out and Marik claims Yami as his and Malik's slave. But when Malik leaves on a surprise Christmas present, what will become of Yami when Marik's wrath is turned towards him?

----------------------------

The darkness of the night fell and the soft glow of the streetlights illuminated the fresh snow. Snowflakes swirled to the ground, an icy wind blowing through them. The streets were void of all human life, as this evening was Christmas. Once and awhile a lone figure would run along the sidewalk, anxious to get home to warmth, family and a Christmas dinner. It seemed like everyone was joyful and happy. But that's not how everyone was.

Sitting on a frozen bench in the middle of the park, Yami tried his hardest to keep himself warm. Having rushed from the house to avoid being pushed out didn't give him enough time to grab a jacket. Tears slid silently down his face at the memories of that house. He had once lived there, but as of fifteen minutes ago, he didn't have a home. Not one that he was welcome at, at least.

'I have to bring it up again. If I ever want to move on with my life, I need to accept what happened and forget about my past,' he told himself. 'Only, I don't want to forget.' He sighed. Life would be much harder from now on.

Burying his head in his arms, he called up the haunting memories.

-Flashback-

"Yami? Do you need help?" Yuugi called into the kitchen.

"Nope, not right now Yuugi," came the response from Yami. 'I want to do this by myself, you know I can take care of myself.'

Yami picked up a pan and almost dropped it. Pain shot through his hands. Carefully setting the pan back on the burner, he rushed over to the sink and let cold water slip over it. The skin was already starting to blister.

'Damn. Now what?' he thought. 'I guess I should bandage it, but then Yuugi would call me a wimp.'

Ignoring the intense pain coming from his hand, he turned off the water and continued. Using an oven mitt this time, Yami removed the offensive pan from the stove and dumped its contents into the strainer in the sink. He set the pan down and rinsed the cooked potatoes.

Yami finished with the potatoes and set them on the table. Now all that was left was the turkey. Once again using the oven mitt, he took the roasted bird from the oven and carefully set it on the counter. Nervously he picked up knife and made one cut down the middle of the turkey. After a second cut was made, the phone rang.

"I'll get it!" Yami shouted, seeing the cordless resting on the far side of the kitchen. He took a step towards it and slipped on a rogue green bean. He slid the length of the kitchen before falling. The knife that was in his hand flew up into the air. Yuugi had just entered the kitchen to see what all the noise was about as the knife hit the wall just inches from his head. Silence fell in the kitchen. It was quite a funny sight, with Yami lying on his back on the ground and Yuugi looking like he was going to faint at any moment with the phone still ringing in the background. Then the second stage hit.

"What the hell do you think you were doing Yami?! Your stupidity almost killed me! And I thought your previous acts were idiotic! I thought I'd give you one last chance to prove that you could handle something on your own, but I guess I shouldn't of!" Yuugi screamed. Yami curled into a ball on the floor as Yuugi continued yelling at him.

"I've been so lenient with you! Always screaming in your sleep, always messing things up and always being clueless about the world around you. I never want to see you again! You're hopeless!" he screamed.

-End of Flashback-

Tears continued to flood Yami's eyes.

Hopeless, Yuugi had called him. Hopeless. That's the way he felt right now.

The wind hurled more snowflakes at his face. Silently, he got up and walked towards downtown Domino.

Most of the stores were dark; it was Christmas Eve, after all. Yami glanced from one window to another, each time hoping to see someone who could possibly help him. Yet his hopes were let down. There was no one in sight, they were all at home enjoying Christmas dinner with their families. Yami found a sheltered alley and curled up in the back corner. This was not the Christmas he had imagined.

There was someone else on the streets besides Yami. Marik pulled his large overcoat closer to him as he walked into the wind. His stupid hikari's cat had run away again. And since Malik had just recovered from a cold, Marik was the one who had to go out and look for it.

Glancing down the alley to his right, he noticed a slight movement in one of the corners. Stalking into the alley, he was prepared to give that damn cat a kick for making him come out in this cold weather. What he found, however, wasn't a cat. It was Yami.

The former pharaoh was shivering, his bare arms covered with nothing but goosebumps. For a second, Marik actually felt sorry for him. Scolding himself for letting his emotions out of hand, he turned to leave the alley. A small whimper made him stop.

Looking back, he saw Yami squirming and curling into an even tighter ball. Incoherent words met Marik's ears.

'Probably having a nightmare. But I do wonder, why is he out here alone and not with his hikari?' Marik pondered. Shaking his thoughts away, he turned to go again when he was stopped again. A meow came from behind him. It was Malik's cat. The cat, perfectly named Escapee, was rubbing against his leg.

"Damn cat," Marik muttered as he lifted the cat into his arms. Leaving Yami where he was, Marik turned and this time successfully exited the alley.

---

The morning brought new depression to Yami. The other homeless people had found him and their children were now poking him mercilessly. Trying to swat them away, Yami found he had no energy. Forcing himself to roll over, he tried to ignore the hard pokes that now paraded across his back.

The kids eventually left Yami to suffer on his own, running off in search of some helpless animal to tease. Yami breathed a sigh. Now he could die slowly on his own, without anyone to bother him.

---

Marik found himself out in the cold again. They had run out of milk and Marik had been forced to go 'fetch' some. He felt like some sort of trained dog.

As he passed the alley Escapee had been hiding in the night before, Marik remembered who else was down there. Looking at Yami's hunched back and idea hit him.

/-/Hey Malik,/-/ he said mentally to his hikari. /-/How would you like a slave? It would be your Christmas present./-/

/Sure!/

Marik could feel his hikari's excitement as he entered the grocery store and purchased a jug of milk without sending anyone to the Shadow Realm. On his way back, Marik stopped in the alley that held Yami. The former pharaoh was fast asleep. Marik picked him up and was amazed at how light he was. And how cold he was. After settling the smaller teen into a comfortable position in his arms, he started for home.

Marik rang the doorbell and Malik rushed to open it. His jaw dropped when he saw who Marik was carrying. Handing Malik the milk, he set Yami down on the carpet near the fireplace.

"Merry Christmas Malik," Marik stated as he carelessly threw a blanket on top of Yami. "He'll probably take a day or two to thaw."

Malik just looked at Marik in shock.

"You mean he's our new slave?! How did you get him away from Yuugi?" the hikari exclaimed.

"I found him in the streets all by himself. I'm going to ask him when he wakes up. For now, I'm going to see if I have a suitable collar upstairs," Marik explained.

As Marik jumped up the flight of stairs, Malik sat on the carpet next to Yami. Moving the blanket off to one side, he placed his hand on Yami's arm. And quickly removed it. Yami's arm was like ice! His eyes moved over Yami's body and he noticed how pale the yami was.

Getting to his feet again, Malik strolled into the kitchen. Setting a pot of water on the stove, he stood on his toes to reach the soup container. Pulling out a simple vegetable broth, he waited for the water to boil. A dull thudding sounded through the hall and Malik guessed Marik was back downstairs.

Leaving the water, the Egyptian hikari stepped back into the living room. Marik was sitting where he had been sitting before, a black dog collar in one hand. With his other hand, Marik lifted Yami's head and rested it on his knee. After removing Yami's trademark collar and tossing it to the side, Marik slid the rough dog collar around Yami's neck. Pushing the buckle in place, Marik let Yami's head slide to the floor with a thump.

Malik winced as a strained look crossed Yami's pale face. He cleared the image out of his head and went back into the kitchen. The water was bubbling, splashing small droplets all over the stove and counter. Turning it down, Malik added the soup mix and stirred it into the water. When it had finished cooking, Malik put a small amount in a bowl and headed back towards the living room.

As he entered the room, he noticed Yami wasn't by the fire anymore. Instead he was lying on the old, folded blanket off to the side, close to the window. Malik assumed Marik had moved him there.

Setting himself down on the corner of the blanket, Malik lifted Yami's head up into his lap. He was surprised to find a chain attached to the back of the black collar. Choosing to ignore it for the time being, Malik lifted the spoon from the bowl. It held only a small amount of broth, but Yami accepted only half of it.

Malik continued to feed Yami until all the broth was gone. He put the former pharaoh's head back down on the blanket. As he stood up, he noticed Yami had gained a little bit of color back into his skin. Malik flipped the blanket off the couch and settled it around Yami's sleeping form before leaving him to sleep.

Upon returning to the kitchen once again, Malik busied himself with adding other foods to the broth. Chopped up celery followed some cut-up carrots into the broth. He let the vegetables cook for a bit, then served some of the added-to soup into two different bowls.

Taking one of the bowls, he climbed the stairs and peered into Marik's room. The Egyptian yami lay on his bed, scribbling furiously on a sheet of paper. Malik could roughly make out the crudely shaped hiragana. It seemed Marik was finally practicing his Japanese.

/Marik, do you want some soup?/ Malik asked through their mind link. Marik grunted and replied aloud.

"Just think about it hikari, once Yami is settled, you'll never have to make a meal again unless you want to. Yami will do it instead. And instead of serving yourself, Yami would be serving you. Oh, and sure, I'd love some soup, if you please," Marik answered.

Malik despised cooking. But since Marik was stronger than he was, he had been forced to do all the cooking. The thought of having someone else cook was comforting.

Setting the soup down on Marik's bedside table, Malik left the room with a smile on his face. Life was going to be a whole lot nicer to him from now on.

Tucking himself in at the table, Malik wolfed down the soup and helped himself to seconds. He cleaned the pot and all the dishes in the joy of never having to do them again after this. He finished dumping the leftover soup into a container and disappeared into his room.

Malik woke the next morning to the beeping of his alarm clock. Even though he was still on holidays, he didn't want to lose his toughly found habit. So he pressured himself into waking up and getting dressed. As he hopped down the flight of stairs, he caught the sound of Marik laughing.

In the living room, Marik was holding a piece of apple just out of Yami's reach. The chain that Malik had discovered the night before was taut and Yami was straining against it. His hand was reaching out towards the fruit but Marik always kept it out of reach.

Malik watched as Yami tried to grab the fruit one more time. Then he shrank back and gave up. Malik moved to Marik's side and gawked at Yami. He had curled himself into a ball and it looked like he was crying.

"He shouldn't be that hard to train. I mean, look at him, he gave up after only a few tries!" Marik snorted, sitting down the couch.

Malik continued his day in his room doing homework. Unlike the other teachers, his science teacher decided two weeks of vacation was too much school missed, so she had assigned them a whole unit to complete.

His digital alarm clock showed 6:30 on its face as he looked up. Considering going downstairs for something to eat, Malik packed away his books. His stomach had decided for him.

He walked down the stairs and stole a glance into the living as he went towards the kitchen. Marik was sneaking closer to a sleeping Yami, another piece of apple in his fingers. Marik shoved his toe into Yami's side. Yami's eyes screwed tight then fluttered open. The first thing he saw was the slice of apple dangling in front of his face. He tried to grab it, but it moved away. Yami let his head flop back onto the blanket as a rumble of hunger rolled through his stomach.

Sitting up, he tipped his weight up onto his knees. His leather pants squeaked as he moved. Sighing, he let go of any dignity he had left.

"May I please have that piece of apple Marik?" he asked timidly. Marik lifted his eyebrow at Yami's question, but dropped the apple piece in front of Yami.

"Good boy," Marik congratulated, rubbing his hand through Yami's hair. Yami reached out and nimbly took the piece of fruit and started to nibble on it. Marik crouched down beside Yami.

"Do you know why you're here and chained up Yami?" he asked. When Yami shook his head 'no', he continued. "You're our new slave. Do what we say and be polite about it and you won't get hurt, alright?"

Yami's nod was more than disappointed. He finished the apple and voiced his own question.

"When do I have to start?" he asked, his voice just louder than a whisper.

Marik was caught off guard by his question. Stuttering, he managed to get an answer out.

"As soon as possible. Tomorrow. You are to prepare meals, clean up the dishes and do other around-the-house chores. And you are to call Malik and I 'Master'. Do you get that?" Marik replied. Yami nodded.

"Master?"

"What?" Marik snapped. Yami drew back at this gesture, but continued with his inquiry.

"Can I have something else to eat?" Yami mumbled, mentally preparing himself for Marik to blow up. Luckily, Malik walked into the living room with a plate of food.

/Cut him a little slack Marik. He was just thrown into this about fifteen minutes ago. He's doing really well for the time-being./

Marik snorted and left the room as Malik set the plate in front of Yami. He got a polite 'thank you' followed by 'Master'. Malik just shook his head and walked away.

Yami waited for the Egyptians to leave the room before he let his tears fall from his eyes. First Yuugi had thrown him out, then he was alone on Christmas and now he was a slave to two of his greatest rivals. Why did life hate him so much?

Wiping away the moisture on his face, Yami gratefully picked up the food on the plate. He didn't care what it was, it was food. Finishing it completely, Yami set the plate off to the side and rolled over to face the wall. Pulling the blanket from the couch over his body, he fell asleep, leaving himself a mental note to get up before dawn tomorrow to start cleaning.

When dawn came, Yami wobbled to his feet. Taking a step forward, he fell backwards onto his back. He had forgotten about the chain attached to his collar. Giving it a strong pull, Yami heard a chuckle come from behind him.

"Are you trying to escape or are you actually going to start breakfast?" Marik laughed. Yami let go of the chain and got down onto his knees again.

"Can you please unchain me so I can start on my duties, Master?" Yami asked politely, respect soaking his voice. Marik was amazed. Yami had completely given up on his other life and taken up this one gladly over night? It puzzled him.

Unbuckling the chain from Yami's collar, he guided the source of his confusion towards the couch. Now it was Yami who was puzzled, but he allowed Marik to push him down onto the couch. Marik sat down opposite of him and stared into Yami's eyes.

He saw mostly defeat, but in the background he also found loneliness, shame and wretchedness. Blinking, he pulled his eyes away from Yami's. Yami noticed this and let his eyes drop to a respectful level: the ground.

"Yami, tell me, why were you out in the streets alone on Christmas?" Marik asked, silently waiting for a response. Yami continued to look down. He remained quiet.

"Yami, it's not good to disobey your master. I could punish you for not answering me."

Yami's head jerked up. His crimson orbs showed pain and fear now. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He tried again.

"I.....I almost hit Yuugi with a knife. I had slipped on a bean when I went to answer the phone. The knife flew from my hand and hit the wall about two inches away from Yuugi. He.....he yelled at me and told me he never wanted to see me again," Yami quickly answered, tears fell freely from his eyes now. "He said I was hopeless."

Marik just stared at the sobbing yami. Yuugi had thrown him out? That would have been on Christmas Eve, judging on the rouge bean. No wonder Yami was so depressed.

Angry with himself for letting his emotions out of hand again, Marik stood up and turned his back to his new slave.

"Go get started on breakfast. I trust you know how to make pancakes, right?" Marik snarled. Yami shivered at the tone Marik had just used but nodded and stood up.

"Yes Master, I know how to make pancakes," he answered softly. He walked from the room and into the kitchen. Marik followed him and stared at him as he searched the cupboards for necessary ingredients. Yami carefully measured the right amount of pancake mix and dumped it into a large bowl. Picking up the bowl and setting it down by the sink, he then measured the correct amount of water.

After he had stirred the batter, Yami put it off to the side so that it would settle. Pulling out a pan, he set it on a stove burner and turned the heat on. He backed up and waited for the pan to be hot enough to start making the pancakes.

"Very good, Yami. I see that you do know how to make pancakes correctly. I'm glad you didn't lie to me, or else I would have had to punish you," Marik complimented, inspecting Yami's work so far.

"Thank you for your praise Master," Yami replied quietly, happy that he had pleased Marik.

'Why am I doing this? Is my life with Yuugi truly over?' Yami asked himself silently. No answer came to mind.

The pan sizzled, announcing to the world that it was hot enough to begin cooking. Yami moved forward and carefully dropped three evenly sized dollops of batter into the pan. After all the bubbles on the visible side had popped, Yami carefully used the spatula he had found to flip them to cook the other side. His patience was rewarded as three golden brown pancakes stared up at him.

He continued to make more pancakes after the first three had been removed from the pan and set off to the side on a large plate. Malik entered the kitchen with his nose smelling the air.

"Smells good," he stated, seating himself at the table. Yami finished with the last two pancakes and set the full plate on the table along with two plates, two forks, two butter knives, the syrup and the butter. That down he backed away and waited for further instructions. Marik gave them.

"Go sit over there Yami," he ordered, helping himself to some pancakes. Yami did as he was told and sat down beside the green plant in the corner. His mouth watered at the sight of syrup-covered pancakes, his stomach growling in agreement. Yami snapped at himself and pushed the thought of food away from his mind. He knew the pancakes were for Marik and Malik, even if he did make them. He was a slave now. He had to do what he was told and only what he was told.

Yami's stomach growled again as Marik moved the last pancake onto his plate and doused it in syrup.

/Don't you think you should give something to Yami? He's human too, he needs food./

/-/He can survive on one meal a day./-/ Marik's reply startled Malik. Did his yami intend to starve the tri-color haired teen? Malik watched Yami's eyes follow the last bit of pancake as Marik put it in his mouth. His eyes fell as Marik swallowed the last bite.

"Alright Yami, you can clean up now. We don't have a dishwasher, so you're going to have to do it by hand," Marik stated, wiping his mouth on a napkin. Yami stood and collected the sticky dishes. Malik saw one crystalline tear fall from his eyes as he moved the pile over the sink.

The Egyptian hikari couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the former Pharaoh. He had once been the most powerful man in the world, now he was reduced to washing his enemies' dishes. It was degrading.

Yami filled the sink with hot water and dish soap. The bubbles foamed up and surrounded the dirty dishes in the water. The tri-color haired teen carefully washed each plate and utensil, setting them in the other side of the sink for rinsing. He sighed as he dropped his hand into the once-clear water to pull out the plug, allowing the sink to empty. As the water disappeared down the drain, Yami made a mental connection to the water as if it was his life, slowly disappearing until there was nothing worthwhile left.

His mind wandering, Yami dried each individual dish in the other sink and searched the cupboards for their correct places. Once everything was put away, Marik re-entered the kitchen and set his hand on Yami's shoulder. The shorter teen jumped, but remained in place.

"Good job," the Egyptian yami stated, directing Yami towards the living room again. Yami fell to his small, folded blanket as Marik pushed him and kept silent as Marik reattached the chain to the rough collar around his delicate neck. He glanced up at his new master.

"Malik and I are going out with Isis for supper tonight, so we don't need you to cook. And the house is pretty clean still, so that cancels out another use for you," Marik explained, beginning to leave the room. "Oh yeah, here's your meal for today."

A bruised banana flew through the air and landed on the carpet in front of Yami. The former Pharaoh resisted the urge to cry and quietly picked up the fruit.

"Thank you Master," he whispered, stripping the peel off the banana and eating a bite. Marik grunted and disappeared from view. Once his shadow had vanished as well, Yami let his tears fall freely, curling into a ball under the drafty window.

/-/Yuugi?/-/

/…../

/-/Yuugi, I'm sorry. Please don't block me out like this./-/

/…../

Yami's heart fell even lower. Yuugi had blocked the Yami was totally alone, with no one to care for him.

Malik poked his head around the corner and his eyes fell upon Yami's curled-up form in the corner. Sobs racked through his body and Malik could tell he was crying. The Egyptian hikari felt a wave of guilt sweep through his mind.

'You should have told Marik to put him back,' an obnoxious voice in his mind stated. 'He would have passed along just fine if you had let him be.'

'But if he had left the poor thing out there, he would have died,' another voice echoed. A battle started in Malik's head, and he chose to ignore them both. Pushing the thought out of his head, he turned to go back upstairs, to finish his homework before heading out to meet Isis.

Evening came quickly and before Yami knew it, Malik and Marik had switched off all the lights and left, locking the door behind them. The former Pharaoh curled up on his makeshift bed and managed to drift into a fitful sleep.

Nightmares haunted his mind as he tossed in his sleep. Yuugi would appear out of the darkness and laugh, pointing at Yami's helpless self. The word 'hopeless' made constant visits as well, either from Yuugi's mouth or out of the darkness that flooded his soul. Marik was also seen, taunting Yami with that small piece of apple as he had before. As hard as Yami tried, they wouldn't leave him alone.

Something hard hit Yami in the ribs, finally waking him from his frightening sleep. As he peeled open his eyes, Yami could see the dark shadow of someone looming over him. His vision cleared and he could tell it was Marik.

"You did well yesterday, but it seems you're slacking off already," Marik sneered. "So I guess I'll be seeing you later for some punishment."

Yami's eyes widened in fear as Marik undid the chain and strode away laughing. Slowly rising to his feet, the former Pharaoh walked into the kitchen. Two bowls were already sitting in the sink, stating that breakfast had already been eaten. Yami sighed and started to wash them. As he set the last dish in the cupboard, Malik popped his head into the kitchen before turning into the living room. It was obvious that he was looking for something.

"Marik! Have you seen my sunscreen?" he called throughout the house.

"No, I have not seen it. I'm sure Isis has some though. Come on, we have to get going!" Marik answered, his voice coming from the front hall. Malik raced passed the kitchen, a large travel bag in his hand.

"Fine, I'm coming," Malik complained. "But don't you think you should tie Yami up before we go?"

Yami could here Marik coming back up the hall, to get him, he supposed. Not saying a word, Marik roughly grabbed Yami by his collar and threw him onto his blanket. Clicking the chain in place, he turned to leave.

"Master, where are you going?" Yami asked quietly, hoping he wouldn't get yelled at for stalling Marik. Instead of shouting, like Yami had excepted, he chuckled.

"I'm going to drop Malik off at the airport. He's going back to Egypt for a month, as a Christmas present from Isis," Marik replied smugly. "So it'll be just me returning."

With that, he walked casually from the room, leaving Yami to muse over his new fate. The thought of Malik being gone was more than Yami could deal with. Ever since he had been brought to stay here, Malik was the one who had looked out for him. Malik had given him food when Marik wasn't going to. It had been Malik that gave Yami the blanket. Without the Egyptian hikari, Yami feared his life would reach would be in danger.

---

When Marik returned, he was carrying a large bag, the contents of which Yami couldn't see. When he saw Yami's wondering eyes, Marik chuckled.

"You get to see what's in here later. And I can assure you, you won't like it," the Egyptian yami stated, setting the bag down. Walking over to Yami, he unlocked the chain. "I'm hungry. Make me some lunch."

The tri-color haired teen entered the kitchen and began searching the cupboards and the fridge for any idea of what to make for his master. Yami's own stomach rumbled as he pulled out the necessary ingredients to make a filling sandwich. Cheese and lettuce followed sliced ham and tomatoes onto the bread. Spreading on a bit of mayonnaise, he prayed Marik would like it.

He presented the plate to the Egyptian and waited silently on the carpet for any reply. Marik bit into the sandwich and grinned.

"This is excellent," he mumbled simply, reaching down and stroking Yami's hair. "Maybe I won't be so hard on you during your punishment tonight."

Yami felt his heart drop. Marik had remembered what he had said earlier. 'Of course he does, you baka, he's not one to forget,' Yami scolded himself. 'But I had hoped…'

Marik rose from the comfy armchair he had been sitting in. Handing the empty plate back to Yami, he gave the former Pharaoh new instructions.

"Make me another one. I have something for you," he demanded, disappearing up the stairs. Yami was stunned. He had something for him? Shaking his head in disbelief that it could be anything good, the teen went back into the kitchen.

After preparing the sandwich, he returned to the living room where Marik had been and sat patiently, waiting for the other to return. He didn't have to wait long. Marik strode back into the room, a wad of material in his hand. Taking the sandwich, he threw the material at Yami.

"In Egypt, slaves weren't allowed to wear whatever they wanted to wear. This is your new 'uniform'," Marik informed, watching Yami unfold the article in his hands. "Well, put it on!"

Yami jump and got shakily to his feet. The piece of clothing Marik had given him was definitely something a slave would had worn, a simple piece of cloth wrapped around their waist. Nervously, he turned around and pulled off his pants. Blushing furiously in his nakedness, he rapidly tied the new garment around his hips before sinking to the ground again.

"Shirt too, Yami."

The tri-color haired teen sighed and stripped off the leather shirt, throwing it to the side to join his discarded pants. Feeling rather exposed, he bowed his head in attempt to cover his flushed cheeks. Marik stood and commanded Yami to stand as well.

"You look like a slave much more now," he said, guiding Yami back to his place on the floor beneath the window. Pushing him down harshly, Marik attached the chain again and back away. "Hopefully I won't have to bother with that chain much longer. It takes up too much of my precious time."

The Egyptian yami left the room, leaving Yami to rethink a few of his aspects.

'I knew it couldn't be good,' he told himself sternly. 'But I only hope that Marik doesn't treat me like an Egyptian slave, I don't think I could handle the pain.'

Hoping Marik didn't decide to come back, Yami curled into a ball and fell asleep, to worried about his punishment to have dreams or nightmares. Luckily, Yami woke before Marik re-entered the room.

"Go make supper," Marik ordered, once again unchaining Yami. Instead of dropping the chain onto the blanket like he usually did, Marik undid the other end and disappeared up the stairs with it. Yami was confused, but didn't want to risk angering Marik, so he quelled his curiosity and went to make dinner.

Marik wolfed down the food, tossing another banana at Yami. Saying a polite thank you, Yami settled in against the wall and munched on the battered piece of fruit.

Letting out a burp, Marik stood, leaving his empty plate on the table. Yami moved to collect it, but was stopped. Marik grabbed his collar again and led him, not to the living room, but to the stairs leading to the basement.

"Go sit in the center of the room. Touch nothing," Marik ordered, giving Yami a shove. The former Pharaoh whimpered and stepped onto the stairs. Marik chuckled and thundered up the other set of stairs.

Step by step Yami dropped into the darkness. With no light present, he couldn't make out anything in the room except dark shapes against the wall. His breathing became ragged in fear as he obeyed the command he had been given, sitting on the cold floor in the middle of the room. Marik came down the stairs a few minutes later, the same bag from earlier in his hand. Upon seeing the obvious fear on Yami's face, he couldn't help the grin that slid to the surface.

Walking up to Yami, he grabbed the other sharply by the collar and dragged him to his feet. Yami stood and was physically shaking as Marik turned him around and placed a blindfold over his eyes. The shaking continued as his hands were bound and raised above his head. Yami gasped as he was lifted off his feet and hung from the ceiling. Fear completely took over, pushing the facts that Marik was in charge out of Yami's mind.

"Marik, let me down!" he stuttered, his voice broken with fright. Marik laughed from somewhere behind him.

"Let you down? Have you forgotten who's in charge, _Pharaoh_?" he mocked, his voice full of malice. Yami cringed and let tears slip from his covered eyes.

"Please Marik, don't hurt me. Please," he cried. Marik laughed again.

"You're getting your punishment, Yami. You slept in, causing Malik and myself to make our own breakfast," he sneered. "So you have to suck it up and hopefully learn not to disobey." The sound of a zipper opening bounced off the walls of the room. More noise came from the various objects that were concealed within the large duffel bag.

Yami was about to plead again when pain seared through his back. A scream hurtled from Yami's throat as a whip met his back again. He could feel his skin tear when the leather thongs snarled through the air again and again. His vision blurred and red lined the edges. Yami though he was going to die when the lashes stopped.

"I did say I would ease your punishment didn't I? Well, I guess that's it for today then," Marik stated bluntly. Yami scarcely felt Marik drop him to the floor and untie his hands before falling unconscious, blood coating his back.

Marik picked up the dropped whip and, not bothering to wipe the blood off of it, hung it beside the assortment of whips, ranging from two thongs to nine, on the wall. Marik glanced sideways at Yami one more time before heading upstairs.

---

Yami woke a few hours later to the dull throbbing of the pain in his back. A few tears slipped from his eyes as he staggered to his feet. Shakily ripping the cloth from his eyes, his attempt to wipe some of the blood off his back. The pain started up again as he accidentally tore off a newly formed scar, fresh blood starting to flow. He hissed in agony but managed to hold back any shouts. In the thin dawn light, Yami could finally see what was held in the room that was a mystery to him the night before.

He saw now that the walls held various illegal weapons, all served the sole purpose of inflicting pain to an unlucky somebody. To his relief, there was a small sink in one corner of the room. Like the walls, it too held a number of weapons. Yami tried to ignore the brown stains that covered every one of the blades and instead picked up a musty cloth and began to rinse off his back. Making sure that every bit of blood was off his back, he quickly checked his 'uniform'. Miraculously, there was not a drop of blood on the white cloth.

Yami's thoughts about how that was possible were interrupted as he heard the floor boards above him squeak as weight was settled on them. Yami held his breath as the footsteps slowly moved across the floor. He sighed in relief as the noise moved into the area Yami knew what the bathroom. Water suddenly began to rush through the pipes. Yami took a deep breath and headed upstairs to begin breakfast.

---

Yami's life was indeed like water draining from a sink. Everyday, Marik would find something wrong with Yami's daily work and punished him that night. The tri-colour haired teen gradually grew used to the pain as a month passed by, whether it be the harsh burning of a whip or the searing pain of a knife being pressed into his skin. It became routine.

Marik gradually figured out that the current force of his punishment wasn't causing Yami as much harm as it had at the beginning of his new ownership. So, as Yami waited in the middle of the now familiar room for his daily punishment, he changed his procedure.

Smirking in the pure evil of his plan, he routinely blindfolded Yami and hung him from the ceiling. But instead of beginning right away, he leaned close to Yami's ear and whispered part of his new attempt to the former Pharaoh.

"I've decided to change the way I do things," he hissed, sending shivers down Yami's back and throughout his body. "I think pure physical pain is too…comfortable…for you now. So I'm going to make you suffer in a way that no one nor nothing can heal…"

Yami's shivers had increased and goosebumps covered his skin. Without any warning, the thin cloth around Yami's waist was ripped away. Yami gave a surprised yelp and immediately tried to hide himself. Marik laughed and held Yami's legs still.

"I don't think so," he sneered. Yami tried to stomp down his fears as he heard the distinct noise of pants being pushed down. "You might want to bite your lip or something, this is going to hurt like hell."

Yami tightened his grip around the leather straps holding him above the ground and prepared for the inevitable. Marik grinned and pried Yami's butt apart. Tears started to slide from the shorter yami's eyes as the full realization of what was happening to him hit him.

'He's going to rape me…'

Marik suddenly shoved himself into Yami without a warning. The tri-colour haired teen felt a scream rip from his throat as a pain like nothing he had ever experienced before shot up his back. Flashes of white light appeared in front of Yami's vision and the former Pharaoh felt as if he was going to pass out.

Sensing his pain, Marik chuckled and pulled himself out of Yami before harshly pushing back in. Yami cried out again and tried to kick Marik. The Egyptian yami laughed at the futile attempt and increased his pace. Blood soon coated Marik's shaft as he continued his rough treatment. Shouts of pain continued to pour from Yami's mouth. Marik grabbed Yami's hips and rammed the tri-colour haired teen down onto his shaft.

Yami could feel a large amount of blood running down his legs and splattering to the floor. He felt his strength draining away and his mind began to spin. The strained light from the dim basement light disappeared as Yami completely blacked out.

As Marik finally came into Yami's abused body, he let go of where he had had a grip on Yami's hips. Bruises were already forming, the marks becoming black, purple and dark blue. Marik chuckled and unbuckled Yami's wrists from the ceiling, dropping his now unconscious body to the ground. He then pulled up his pants and ascended from the basement as if nothing had happened.

---

Yami woke some time in the middle of the night, his head still throbbing in pain. In his moment of waking forgetfulness, he attempted to stand after ripping off his blindfold. Before he could take one step, he crumpled back to the floor as the memories came back to him. Groaning at the stabbing feelings jutting up his spine, Yami crawled to where his simple garment had been discarded a few hours earlier. Clutching it in one fist, he turned toward the sink to clean off. Despite the fact that Marik had raped him, he would still be expected to work when the morning officially came.

After wiping off the blood, he tied on his clothes and curled up to catch as much sleep as he could manage before having to stand and get working. He was cold and sore, not the best conditions to try to sleep in. So instead of the desired sleep, he lay in a corner and retreated to his subconscious mind. As usual, Yuugi was there tormenting him and Marik was yelling at him. But these had become regular occurrences and Yami gave them little thought. Instead, he decided to wallow in his self pity.

'Why do I continue to allow him to torture me like this? I've defeated him once, why can't I do it again?' he muttered to himself.

'Because you won't have a home if you disobey him. You might even lose your life,' his conscience answered back.

'But wouldn't that be better than where I am right now? How much lower can I sink?'

He received no answer. The darkness of his mind became silent, its weight growing heavier at every passing moment. Nothing was seen, only the billowing clouds of the shadows. Yami sighed and let tears once again slide down his cheeks. He lay in the darkness, waiting. For what, he didn't know.

Somewhere in the darkness, a bell chimed out. Only once did it sound, but that was enough to catch Yami's attention. He sat up and glanced around the shadows for any possible source. When he didn't see anything, the bell chimed out again, accompanied by shouts.

"Marik! Unlock the door!"

Yami snapped out of his subconscious state and whipped his eyes to the stairs. It was the doorbell. And the shouts could only be…

Yami rushed up the stairs as fast as he could manage. Glancing up the stairs to the second level, Yami could tell that Marik hadn't woken up. He breathed a sigh of relief. The shouts came from the door again. Yami limped to the door and unlocked the deadbolt. Opening the door, he was greeted by Malik and Isis. Moving out of the way, he allowed the two to enter the house. Malik dropped his bags and stretched his arms into the air, breathing deeply. Yami remained silent, in case Marik was somehow watching them.

Malik noticed Yami's quietness and turned to acknowledge him.

"So, Marik hasn't killed you yet?" he joked, a smile spread across his face. Yami paled and kept his eyes down. Isis placed a hand on Yami's shoulder and he jumped.

"Pharaoh? What are you doing here? Isn't Yuugi worried about you?"

Tears came to his eyes and he turned his head away. Malik rapidly shook his head and quickly explained what had happened to Yami for him to end up where he was. Isis looked confused and very disturbed, but she dropped the topic.

"So, Yami, where's Marik? I thought he would at least have gotten up to greet us," Malik questioned, kicking off his shoes and heading up the hallway. Isis did the same and followed Malik.

"He's asleep," Yami replied quietly, walking silently after Isis. Malik made a face and leapt up the stairs and raced to Marik's door. Yami started to yell to him to tell him to stop, but fell quiet when Malik flung the door open and flicked on the light.

'I'm in for it now,' Yami thought to himself as a shout of surprise rose from Marik's room. Malik shot out the door with his yami in hot pursuit. Malik started down the stairs when Marik tackled him around the knees. Together they tumbled down to the main floor. After untangling themselves and standing up, Malik made a formal greeting and proceeded to the living room. Isis followed him.

Marik remained behind in the hallway, his glare set on Yami. He took one step towards Yami and the tri-colour haired teen began to shake. Marik closed the gap between them, grasping Yami's face and jerking it upwards.

"You're lucky Isis is here, or I would punish you right here, right now. Now get in that kitchen and make some coffee immediately," he snarled, harshly pushing Yami to the side. Yami solemnly nodded and limped to the kitchen. Malik watched from the doorway as Marik smirked and finally entered the den.

The three of them were chatting smoothly in Arabic when Yami entered the room bearing a tray with three steaming mugs of coffee and two containers holding sugar and cream. He slowly walked to the table and set the tray down. With a motioning glance from Marik, Yami left the tray where it was and went kneel down beside Marik's chair.

Isis gasped in shock as Yami walked passed her. The lash marks and scars from the numerous knife cuts caused her distress.

"What have you done to him Marik?" Isis cried out, rising from her seat. Yami flinched and sat down as ordered. Once seated, he kept his eyes on the beige carpet. Isis continued to freak out but got no answer out of Marik. The Egyptian yami just sipped his coffee before deciding to answer.

"He disobeyed his distinct orders, so I had to punish him," Marik replied, setting his empty mug down. Yami automatically got up and moved to retrieve the empty cup. Marik grabbed him by the hair and pushed him back to the floor.

"You can't treat him like that!" Isis shouted in outrage. Malik stood up and pulled his sister back down. Isis continued to fume, but kept her thoughts to herself. They finished their coffee as the sun started to rise. Isis excused herself and left in a huff. Malik shrugged as the door slammed before heading up to his room to unpack.

Marik again cornered Yami and gave him more orders.

"It seems that Malik and I are going to sleep a little later than usual. I expect a full breakfast ready when we wake up," he ordered. Yami nodded and started for the kitchen. Marik smirked and left the room, heading back upstairs to his room.

Yami searched the kitchen for the essential ingredients to make a suitable breakfast. Marik had said a 'full' breakfast, meaning he expected a table full of filling food. The tri-colour haired teen found everything he needed and started to cook.

---

When Malik woke a few hours after falling asleep, his nose was met by a wonderful smell. He followed the smell downstairs and into the kitchen. There he found Yami slaving over the stove, flipping pancakes. His eyes wandered to the table where a number of different dishes, from bacon to French toast, already sat. Yami turned around and noticed Malik staring at the food.

"I'm sure you can start. I don't think Master Marik would mind," Yami muttered, turning back to the stove. Malik sat down at the table and began piling a plate full of food. Marik entered the kitchen as Malik put the first bite of egg in his mouth.

"You failed to have everything done before we woke. That means I will see you in the basement later," he hissed. Yami's eyes widened and his skin paled. If Marik decided to continue his new form of punishment, Yami wouldn't be able to move by the week's end. Malik looked up in confusion.

"Do you have to complain about this Marik? I think it's wonderful," Malik commented, shoving another bite in his mouth.

"I can do what I want," Marik replied.

"You can do whatever you want with your property, but the last time I recalled, Yami was _my _Christmas present, not yours," Malik snapped back. "So I decide what happens to him. And he will not be 'seeing you in the basement later'."

Marik's eyes narrowed and he started shouting mentally at Malik. But the Egyptian hikari remained firm in his decision. When Marik stomped out of the kitchen, Yami sent a thankful glance at Malik and flipped the pancakes out of the pan.

Malik shrugged in confusion and turned back to his food. Yami smiled for the first time in a month and brought the plate of pancakes to the table. Setting them beside Malik, Yami sat in his spot on the floor, the corner beside the familiar green plant. Malik paused for a moment before loading up the plate that was meant for Marik and setting it back in place.

"You can sit at the table Yami. You are human after all," he stated before returning to his own food. Yami looked up at him in confusion. He had never been allowed sit at the table before; never. But, still, Malik had rebuked Marik earlier, perhaps things were going to change.

Yami's mouth watered as he pulled the chair out from under the table and sat down. Not hesitating any longer, he dove into the plate of food that Malik had set down. The Egyptian hikari smiled as he lifted his gaze and watched Yami rapidly devour the food he had made.

"You can slow down Yami, that food isn't going anywhere," Malik chuckled. Yami looked up at him, his eyes full of happiness. He nodded and slowed down as Malik had suggested.

Marik didn't leave his room for the rest of the day. Malik allowed Yami to do whatever he wanted. The former Pharaoh was happier than he had ever been since Yuugi had kicked him out.

Yet, just as he thought things were going to get better, everything took a turn for the worst.

Marik woke the next morning with a renewed spirit for vengeance burning within him. He stormed down stairs and marched into the kitchen. Yami was there making breakfast as he usually was. Marik grabbed Yami roughly and threw him down the stairs. Malik heard the crash and rushed into the kitchen.

"Marik! Stop it!" he cried, latching onto Marik. The Egyptian yami growled and threw Malik down the stairs as well. He landed on Yami's fallen form. The former Pharaoh groaned and helped Malik to his feet.

Marik stomped down the stairs and shoved passed Malik and grabbed Yami. He pushed the small, fearful teen to the center of the room and hung him from the ceiling once again. Malik rushed forward and tried to let Yami down but to no avail.

"Marik! Stop this nonsense! I told you. Yami is my property, I decide what happens to him!" he screamed.

"Not tonight. Tonight, I get to make the decisions." Marik's voice was dark and full of malice. Malik shrunk back against the wall as Marik advanced towards him. The Egyptian yami lifted his hikari and pinned him to the cement wall behind him as he clicked the chains that hung there in place around Malik's wrists. As a finishing touch, he slipped a black piece of cloth around Malik's head, stopping any attempts at a protest.

When he was done securing Malik in place, he returned his attention to the teen hanging in the middle of the room. Yami remained silent as Marik routinely tied a similar piece of cloth around Yami's mouth. Malik tossed and strained at the chains to lend some sort of assistance to Yami. Yet Marik didn't stop.

The Egyptian yami torn the piece of cloth around Yami's waist off and threw it to the floor as he had done the previous night. But instead of harshly raping Yami like he had before, he decided to play a bit.

His eyes still running over with rage and anger, Marik strolled over to the wall and selected a rather long knife from its shelf. Yami quivered in fear as Marik started to rub the flat of the knife over Yami's skin before ripping away the thin piece of cloth that covered his mouth; he wanted to hear Yami scream, and he wanted his hikari to hear it as well. Smirking, he dug the tip deep into Yami's chest.

Malik tried to block out the screams that bounced off the walls as Marik continued to mutilate Yami's skin. Crimson blood ran down Yami's exposed body and dripped to the floor forming a rapidly growing puddle.

Marik, satisfied with his current work, placed the knife to his lips and licked the coppery blood off of the steel blade. Yami was breathing heavily, and the sight of Marik cleaning the knife with his tongue made him hurl. Marik chuckled at Yami's reaction and tossed the knife in dirty sink. His eyes now showed an evil sort of mischief, the kind that could cause lots of damage.

As he licked his lips to clean away the remainder of the blood, Marik ran his gaze over the large selection of whips that lined the wall. Malik's struggles became more furious as Marik lifted a cat-o-nine from its hook. The bound hikari glanced ferverously at Yami, who was still trying to recover from Marik's earlier attack.

/Marik, this isn't fair. You shouldn't be treating him like that!/

/-/Why? Because he's _your property_ perchance?/-/

An evil laugh flooded through their link. Malik sighed in disbelief and hoped Yami would make it through Marik's period of insane madness. Yet, with the way things were going at the moment, it didn't look good for the former Pharaoh.

Marik casually walked to a spot a few feet behind Yami and raised the whip, ready to strike. Malik held his eyes closed as tight as he could manage, but nothing could block out the screams that once again echoed around the room.

Yami could feel Marik's corrupt content as the whip seared across his back over and over. His voice was almost gone; all he could manage was small whispers of pleading. Yet Marik, if he even heard them, ignored the pleads and continued to throw the lashes against Yami's shredded back.

Before Yami could lose consciousness and fade away into a world without his current pain, Marik dropped the whip to the side. He walked up to Yami and lifted the former Pharaoh's chin away from his blood soaked chest. Yami's eyes were dull, drawn back away from reality. In order to drew the teen back to where his body was, Marik slapped him across the cheek. The noise bounced through the room, almost as loud as Yami's screams had been.

Yami cautiously looked up at Marik, hoping that his punishment was done. Marik saw the evident hope in Yami's bloodshot eyes and let an evil smirk rise the surface of his otherwise emotionless face. He slapped Yami's reddened cheek again before heading over to where Malik was slumped.

The hikari glared up in hostility as his yami attempted to 'apologize'. He whipped his head away from Marik's hand and started pulling at the chains that bound his hands above his head. He addressed Marik through their minds.

While the mental debate was happening on the side of the room, Yami took the time and tried to relax himself. He let his mind drift again, seeking the dark solitude of his soul. He lay his soul down in a corner and began to cry, curling up in a ball for any hope of comfort. Yet there was none.

As he continued to let his pain fly free down a channel on his cheek, he saw a light in the distance. He gazed up in amazement; there hadn't light in his soul since Yuugi blocked him out. A hopeful smile rose to Yami's face as he pushed himself to his feet, as wobbly as he was.

/-/Yuugi? Is that you?/-/

A figure ran out of light, headed straight for Yami. Its silhouette tackled Yami to the floor in a giant hug.

/Yami, I'm sorry, please….can you forgive me?/

Yami smiled and hugged Yuugi back. He was about to answer when he felt a hand slap his cheek again. He tried to explain to Yuugi, but his concentration was rapidly dissolving. Yuugi tried to catch Yami as he slowly faded, but it was too late. Yami only managed to say one thing before he re-immerged into the present time and Yuugi barely heard it.

/-/Marik…/-/

Yami's eyes snapped open as Marik slapped him again. He was obviously outraged and grabbed Yami's hair in a fist to show it.

"How dare you even _think_ about drifting off! I'm not done with you yet," Marik snarled, whipping Yami's head to the side. Marik grabbed a musty clothing and wiped the blood off of Yami's lower back and hips. He then discarded the cloth and turned Yami around to face him once again.

"You know exactly what's going to happen now, don't you _Pharaoh_?" Marik hissed into Yami's ear. Yami's breath grew short again; Marik's new form of punishment was back. When Yami remained silent yet his eyes spoke of fear, Marik turned the quivering teen around again. Pushing down his pants, he once again buried himself in Yami's body.

Malik looked on in horror as his yami began to rape Yami, harshly pulling out of the teen and shoving himself back in. He could see the tears running down Yami's cheeks and watched as they fell to the ground to mingle with the blood.

As it was last time, Yami lost consciousness before Marik was finished with him. Yet Malik saw the whole thing. After he got over his shock, he called out to Marik.

/You bastard. He did nothing to you!/

Marik whipped to face his hikari after he had done up his pants.

"Do you wish to suffer the same fate, hikari? 'Cuz it can be arranged," Marik snarled, jerking Malik's head up. Malik tried to move his head away again, but Marik's hold was too tight. As Marik lifted a hand to slap his hikari, something hit him, causing him to fall over, landing in the large puddle of Yami's blood.

"You have no right to threaten or hurt your hikari like that, Marik," a voice spoke from the top of the stairs. Both Malik and Marik looked towards the spot where the voice had come from. There, beside Isis, was Shaadi, holding aloft his Sennen Key. Marik growled and tried to attack the other Egyptian. But Shaadi struck back.

---

Marik lay unconscious on the living room floor. Malik was resting on the couch, his sister's arms wrapped protectively around him. Shaadi had gone back downstairs to figure out what Marik had been trying to do. Isis gently held Malik as he told her what had happened. She was about to respond when Shaadi came up the stairs with Yami in his arms. He softly lay the teen on his blanket by the window, covering his naked body with a blanket.

"Malik, what happened to him?" he asked quietly so as to not upset the hikari as he moved away from Yami.

"Marik cut him, whipped him, then raped him," Malik replied just as quietly. Shaadi's eyes grew wide and he quickly turned back to the former Pharaoh. The teen was slowly waking from his unconsciousness.

As crimson eyes opened, Yami was surprised to find himself in the living room. Trying to push the pain away, he rolled over to face the rest of the room. Shaadi was at his side once again, a look of worry in his eyes.

"Are you alright my Pharaoh?" he questioned. Yami nodded and closed his eyes again. But he snapped them open as the door opened and closed, announcing the arrival of another person. Isis got up to check who it was.

She returned a moment later, Yuugi trailing after her. When he saw Yami laying on the ground, he rushed to his side. No words were passed between them; there was no need. Yuugi motioned for Shaadi to come closer so that he could ask him a favour. Once Yuugi was finished. Shaadi nodded and lifted Yami back into his arms.

"Shaadi, where are you going?" Isis asked.

"Yuugi asked if he could bring him home," Shaadi replied. Malik looked from Isis to Shaadi to Yuugi and then back to Isis.

"But I thought Yami wasn't allowed to go back to Yuugi's; I thought Yuugi threw him out," Malik questioned. Yuugi dropped his eyes.

"I was unjust when I made that decision. But I talked to Yami through our link a while and he forgave me," Yuugi explained. "So, I've decided to take him back."

"Marik won't bother him again, I'll make sure of it," Shaadi promised turning back to the door. "Well, shall we go then Yuugi?"

The two them walked out the door and down the front walk. Shaadi followed Yuugi back to the Kame Game shop where Yami was settled into his own bed. They would deal with the blood when he woke.

---

Yami stumbled out of the bathroom the next day, a large bandage wrapped around his chest. He stopped at the top of the stairs and waited. Yuugi came out of the bathroom and grabbed Yami's hand to help him down the stairs. When they reached the main level, Yami walked through the kitchen and headed for the back door.

Sunshine hit his face for the first time in over a month. Although there was still snow covering the ground, the wind was warm as it whirled around his bandaged form. His hair blew across his face. Yuugi came up behind him and gave him a tight hug.

"Thank you for giving a second chance Yami. I don't think I would be able to live without you," he breathed. Yami turned and fell to his knees to make them of even height. He then threw his arms around his hikari.

"I wouldn't have lived if it weren't for you."

-Owari-

Notes: I've had this thing sitting around unfinished for ages. I hope you liked it, if you actually got this far before quitting and going to read something more interesting. Please, tell me how you thought it was, (in other words, please review)

Ja ne and Meri Kurisumasu!


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